Archive for
April 12th, 2012

I frequently check the police news across the pond, over the years I have made many friends in the job in America. Years ago I had a visit from a deputy-sheriff in America, his wife and he stayed with my family for a few days. He happened to be responsible for firearms training within his department.

We kept in contact when he returned back home until he stopped responding to my letters. After some time I had a letter from his wife with the very sad news that he had been shot in the stomach whilst at work, although this was not fatal, it had affected him so deeply that his life had changed, the letter was very sad and bleak, depression was mentioned along with a subsequent break-up of the marriage. I never heard from him again.

I saw this week that another officer was shot and killed last week, this one, 40-year-old Austin, Texas Officer, Jaime Padron, was shot and killed after attending a disturbance at a Walmart in the early hours of the morning. His memorial service was Wednesday. Over 1,000 officers are expected to attend his funeral later in the week.

Jaime is the 27th officer to have lost his life in the line of duty. The total so far this year is 28.